Ofsted: Inadequate schoolGrammar School trending_up High Demand emoji_events #3 in Essex public Top 1% UK

Colchester Royal Grammar School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr John Russell

corporate_fareTHE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST

location_onColchester, CO3 3ND

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Ofsted

Inadequate

Inspected 2021

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Attainment 8

82.1

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GCSE Rank

#2 in Essex

#12 of 3,216 nationally

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Colchester Royal Grammar School is a Academy converter secondary school in Colchester, serving ages 11-18. Currently rated Inadequate by Ofsted. Highly competitive: 1.8× more applications than places — plan well ahead.

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School Summary

Colchester Royal Grammar School is an academy converter in Colchester, Essex, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of THE THINKING SCHOOLS ACADEMY TRUST. The school has approximately 1,059 pupils on roll, of whom 7% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 82.1, placing the school #2 in Essex and #12 of 3,216 nationally. 100.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 87.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 23 A-level subjects. 95.7% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 78.2% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.19 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2021. The school's current overall rating is Inadequate. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Inadequate, personal development Inadequate, and leadership and management Inadequate.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.8× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 0.6 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

82.1

Grade 5+ E&M

100.00%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)87.9%

Entering EBacc76.60%

EBacc APS7.85

2024

Progress 8 Score

1.09

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

83.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc77.40%

EBacc APS7.99

2023

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc-%

EBacc APS-

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.19

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

202

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*40.6%

Achieving A*–A78.2%

Achieving A*–B95.7%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate100.0%

A-level subjects offered23

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.16

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

179

Retention rate100.00%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

Inspection Report

Inspection History

2 Evaluations

2021-05-11

S8 No Formal Designation Visit EIF

Inadequate

Education

Good

Behaviour

Inadequate

Development

Inadequate

Leadership

Inadequate

2007-11-07

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

0.5%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

0.5%(5 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,059 pupils. During this period, there were 5 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 0.5%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,059	5	0.5%	7.3%
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,060	7	0.7%	7.8%
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,018	11	1.1%	7.4%
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,018	11	1.1%	7.1%
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,018	14	1.4%	8.2%
2022/23 (Summer term)	994	9	0.9%	6.6%
2022/23 (Spring term)	0	9	-	6.4%
2022/23 (Autumn term)	0	15	-	5.9%

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 24 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 21 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 12 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 9 pupils

Physical Disability 6 pupils

Hearing Impairment 5 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils